LA SALLE isn't about to slow down anytime soon.
The Lady Spikers tamed longtime rival University of Santo Tomas once more, 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 25-14, in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball action on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The win stretched the green-and-white's unscathed streak to nine, keeping them firmly in control of the race for the top two - and within reach of an automatic berth in the championship round.
The match turned its head in the third set, when the Golden Tigresses seemed to be in cruise control when they led by as much as 20-12.
La Salle, though, refused to fold with Lilay del Castillo's point forcing a 23-all deadlock, followed by a Shane Reterta ace and a signature Angel Canino finisher to complete a huge turnaround.
Aiming for perfection
"Nu'ng third set, ni-remind ko lang 'yung mga bata. Sabi ko, very aggressive 'yung kalaban, so kailangan lang na ilaban natin 'yung bawat sitwasyon at gawan ng paraan kung medyo hindi bagay du'n sa mga dumadating 'yung mga in-expect nila," said head coach Ramil de Jesus.
"Ilaban lang hanggang maipanalo rin 'yung sitwasyon."
Canino delivered the big points in the biggest moments of that Set 3 fightback, finishing with 17 points, seven digs and five receptions.
Team captain Shevana Laput provided steady support with 14 points and five digs, while Shane Reterta added 10 in another promising outing. Amie Provido also made her presence felt in the middle with nine points and five digs.
The Lady Spikers came out firing, blowing the gates open with a 12-point cushion to take the first set, only for the black-and-gold to answer with a massive 13-3 blitz to level the match.
But once that third-set tug-of-war unraveled, it was all Lady Spikers.
La Salle stormed to a 7-0 start and never looked back, eventually capitalizing on a costly UST unforced error to seal the win and send the Golden Tigresses down to 5-4 after a three-game unbeaten run.
Angge Poyos’ 20 points and seven digs went to waste, as did Reg Jurado’s 12 points and five digs.
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